1. Director-General for Northeast Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kim Yong-kil, together with Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Kenji Kanasugi, held a Republic of Korea-Japan director-general-level meeting in Tokyo on the morning of April 23 and exchanged a wide range of views on matters of mutual interest, including the ROK Supreme Court’s ruling on victims of forced labor during Japan’s occupation of Korea.

2. The two sides explained the positions of the governments of the two countries on the court decision regarding forced labor, and agreed to continue close communication with each other on this issue. The Japanese side articulated the Japanese government’s position on the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s decision regarding Japanese seafood. In response, the ROK side explained the ROK government’s position that it is necessary to respect the WTO’s decision and that the people’s health and safety are the top priority of the ROK government.

3. Director-General Kim expressed deep regret over the Japanese government’s repetition of unjust claims over Dokdo in its Diplomatic Bluebook released on April 23, underscoring the need for the Japanese government to squarely face history and make sincere efforts to advance the ROK-Japan relations in a future-oriented way.

4. The ROK and Japan have been maintaining close communication with each other at various levels, and the director-general-level meeting took place as part of those communication efforts. The two countries drew a common understanding that despite difficulties between the two countries due to historical issues, it was necessary to continue communication in a bid to advance the bilateral relations.

* unofficial translation